


A Cat In The Night

by mandynightfury



Category: Hocus Pocus (1993)
Genre: 10 years later, Aged Up, Canon Compliant, F/M, Post canon, Post-Canon, familars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:14:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27674567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandynightfury/pseuds/mandynightfury
Summary: There was a lot about that Halloween Night 10 years ago that Dani Dennison wished she could forget, but Thackery Binx was definitely not one of them. Now when a spell goes awry Dani may just find out that her past isn't all that far behind her anymore, especially if a certain witty feline has anything to say about it.
Relationships: Max Dennison/Allison Watts, Thackery Binx/Dani Dennison
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	1. Some Things Are Best Kept Hidden

“Guys I don’t think this is a good idea…” stuttered Dani nervously, remembering the last time one of her family members dared to meddle with witchcrafts, all he did was light a single candle and it had nearly cost him, Allison and even her own life.

“Come on you coward, or would you rather go back to your lonely lunch table and lonely Friday nights?” sneered Monica, her high ponytail swinging, her pearly white teeth contrasting with her bright red lipstick, giving her an almost predatory look.

“Yeah, you dork, afraid of a little witchcraft!” taunted Maxwell “Max” Jones, the quarterback and resident bully, second in his cruelty only to his girlfriend Monica.

“This is a summoning spell! It’s extremely dangerous and just as volatile as it is unstable!” warned Dani hoping to coax some sense into her peers as they crowded around her. She should have known better to accept an invite to a party hosted by the popular crowd, but she was just so desperate to make some more friends. High school had been rough for her, her best friend Aria was homeschooled, leaving Dani to face the social food chain alone. She’d quickly become an ideal target for the resident mean girl, Monica, and her posse when they’d discovered her rather unusual hobby, studying light magic. Never forgetting that faithful night where Dani saw how cruel dark magic could be, she’d swore to herself that should dark magic arise in Salem again in the near future, she’d be ready. She’d thrown herself into her studies in her free time, learning various herbal remedies and recipes that could heal and even repel or protect against darker spells, always careful to never stray too close to the darker side of witchcraft. Max had concealed all traces of Winifred’s spellbook, with Allison destroying any other traces of the Sanderson sister’s, and later that evening they buried Binx, next to Emily, with a hand-carved tombstone they’d made themselves. 

After that night Allison and Max began dating, years later becoming engaged and moving only a street over from the family home. They scarcely mentioned that night, only acknowledging those events when the three of them holed themselves in at Max and Allison’s home every Halloween night, leaving a bowl of candy on the porch, refusing to acknowledge any visitors. However there was one thing about that night that Dani couldn’t, and frankly didn’t want to forget, Thackery Binx. The young man turned black cat had been sarcastic and snarky towards everyone else, but to Dani, he had been patient, kind comforting, and even protective in an endearing kind of way. When he’d stepped forward in his human form, taking her hand in his and placing a kiss on her cheek, Dani had felt more at peace, more accepted, more cherished than she had in that moment. It was at that moment Dani knew she was smitten, her eight-year-old mind crushing on a young man whom she could never be with, yet a crush she cherished. 

As the years passed Dani was no longer the eight-year-old she once was, now a strong-willed, sixteen-year-old with a personality as fiery as her red hair, she’d become a master of avoiding the popular crowd, knowing they’d taunt her for her unique interest as soon as they caught sight of her, but wouldn’t hesitate to confront them if she spotted them picking on someone else. If there was one thing Binx had taught her it was to not put up with bullies, especially those that target those they know are too naive or afraid to fight back. However, other than knowing how to block a few punches and maybe throw one of her own from a demo they had at school a few years back, Dani wasn’t much of a physical fighter, even the few potions she brewed were for remedies and the occasional spells she practiced were harmless, too weary to risk some of the more powerful spells. When she’d first began studying the light magic arts, she learned that there were three categories of witchcraft, light, dark, and grey. Spells and potions of healing and those designed for helping were often simple and while still considered were known as light magic, whereas the grey area contained spells that were mere pranks or just more powerful versions of the previous light magic spells. You see the more powerful a spell or incantation is the closer it borders to falling into the third and final category, dark witchcraft. Dark witchcraft was only the most malevolent and dangerous spells, which unfortunately were often the most powerful. Dani considered herself a white witch, or one who only uses her practices for good, and the spell that her classmates were considering was dangerously dark and could easily backfire.

“So we all know how you like to practice your little witchcraft out in the woods!” taunted Brent, best friend to Max, but just as cruel.

“Don’t you idiots get it? This isn’t a basic potion or conjuring a simple breeze! This is dark magic, far more dangerous than anything I’ve done let alone would ever be dumb enough to try!” snapped Dani growing irritated by her classmates’ blatant refusal to acknowledge the dangers of what they were dealing with.

“Who are you calling and idiot dork!” growled Max, stalking over to Dani before shoving her to the ground, “We invited you here, can’t you do something useful?” he sneered before leaving to go join the others in setting up the summoning circle in the center of the abandoned warehouse.

“Yeah loser, do this, or I’ll make sure what little social life you have is over!” she snarled, before noticing the small pocketbook that had fallen out of Dani’s pocket when she was shoved to the ground, it’s small leather-bound cover latched with a buckle sitting face up. Both girls locked eyes before lunging for it, Monica only a second faster as Dani’s fingers grasped air. Gripping the small notebook triumphantly, she grinned as she watched Dani’s face pale as she opened the notebook. Dani could only look on in horror as the school’s resident gossip held all her secrets in one hand.

Dani could only look on in horror as Monica flipped through her deepest darkest desires and muttered the one thing she’d tried to keep secret since she was eight.

“Who’s Binx?” asked the resident gossip and with that Dani knew what little social life she had was over.


	2. A Night We'll Never Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Dani's classmates refuse to heed her advice, will she leave and let them face the consequences of their recklessnessshe or stay behind and try to help should something go awry, and if she stays what will she encounter?

“Who’s Binx?” asked Monica, genuinely surprised at how many times the strange name caught her eye as she flipped through the pages, “Aw does loser have a crush!” she cackled watching Dani’s face flush until it was a deep red.

“No..he’s just an old friend…” stuttered Dani, her face now crimson. 

“Oh, she does! Now I wonder if this special someone knows?” Monica asked, malice resonating from her voice.

“Trust me when I say it doesn’t matter,” growled Dani, sniffling a bit, her once tough exterior cracking.

“Oh but I think it does. No, listen loser, you help us or I will personally track down this Binx kid and make sure he finds out...along with the rest of our school,” she threatened, and if it was one thing Dani knew about Monica, it was that she would follow through.

“I already told you, I-” Dani started before she was cut off by Maxwell’s voice.

“Hey Monica, forget her, we’re ready!” cheered the jock unaware of the horrors he was about to unleash.

“Later loser,” cackled Monica, tossing the small book at Dani before heading back to see what the others had set up.

Dani waited a moment but after seeing Monica sit down beside the rest of her crew, she got to her feet and was prepared to make a beeline for the door until something stopped her. Something deep down was telling her not to go, to stay behind and protect the people who had mocked her for years for practicing a branch of the art they were about to attempt. What they were doing was going to have one of two possible outcomes, either nothing was going to happen, or worse, by the slim chance it actually worked, whatever creature showed up would not be friendly. She’d never performed anything besides the most basic spells but all the books she read told her the same thing, the more powerful and experienced the caster, the more powerful and effective the spell. If she had caved and performed it who knows what could have happened, more than likely whatever had stepped through would be extremely dangerous and the spell would have been even more unstable with her experience behind it, then compared to her classmates. She knew it would be against her morals, let alone the rules of a white witch to not try and help her classmates should something go awry and prevent the spell from leaving the old wooden barn.

“O damnatorum valentissima bestia nobis voco. Et respondendum est vocatio nostra!” her classmates chanted as Dani watched from behind some hay bails. They all sat seated around a small circle ringed with candles and adorned with various glyphs, their stolen spellbook resting in the center. Dani eyed the glyphs wearily, but while she had very little experience with dark witchcraft, her eyes still widened in alarm. They had made a critical mistake, rather than trying to summon a creature that already walked the earth like they had intended with one of the many bests rumored to lurk in the woods, but instead had accidentally written the glyphs in the form of trying to summon something to earth. Dani wanted to rush over but before she could leap over the hay bail a torrent of flames spiraled out from the book, causing her classmates to jump back in shock. The tornado of flames curled up toward the ceiling, licking the old wooden beams, before suddenly flaring outward as her fellow students dove for cover. Where the book once stood now lay a monstrous beast standing above a pile of ashes, it’s maw dripping. The creature appeared somewhat canine but was larger than a horse with each paw adorned with large razor-sharp claws, stained with blood. Its eyes were such a deep red they almost appeared black, it’s pelt matted and splattered with blood and a variety of other substances. Each leg appeared blistered and burned and like it’s gaping maw, completely devoid of fur. Its snout boasted a large set of yellowed fangs its breath smelling of smoke as the room began to reek of sulfur. Its rigid stance did not last long however as the hellish beast sniffed the air, prepared to turn on its summoners. Knowing that what was about to happen was about to be something of nightmarish proportions she opened her journal to see if she had any protection charms or banishment of evil spells that would be strong enough to send the creature back to where it came from, but nothing seemed to match the strength of the creature before her. There was no way her powers could match such a beast, but she had to try, otherwise, ber and her peers were doomed. She did the only thing she could think of, blending her most powerful protection charm and her only banishment spell in hopes that they would either banish the creature or at least weaken it significantly. She didn’t know if her plan would even work as her incantations echoed through the barn, but it was their only shot. Unfortunately, the sound of her voice had caught the attention of the beast as it turned towards her, opened its mouth, and lunged. 

Dani waited for the pain to come, a scream stuck in her throat but was surprised when instead of gnashing teeth a large gust of wind erupted in front of her, knocking her back and even bushing the creature back a few feet. Just like when the creature was summoned the wind took on the form of a tornado but unlike before, this one seemed to be air and autumn leaves rather than flames. As the column of wind-blasted apart before Dani stood a second creature. This one was distinctly feline and appeared to be made of wind and light itself, and while the first creature appeared nightmarish, this one just appeared otherworldly and ancient. Its power ran deep and as it took several steps towards the creature, the ground near her seemed to quake with its thunderous footsteps, despite the entity not leaving a single imprint on the ground. The beast let out a thunderous growl, but it’s posture faltered as the new creature simply stopped its approach and stood its ground. The two creatures circled each other, hissing and growling until without warning the two creatures suddenly clashed, the barn shaking as a mass of teeth and claws wrestled in the center of the room. It didn't take long before the beast was thrown back, crashing into the wall and barely missing Monica. The massive feline creature stood, its fangs showing as it bellowed with an echoing yowl of its own as the beast struggled to its feet. The beast growled, making its last stand as it lunged but the feline simply slammed its paw into the beast’s face, knocking it down once again, before standing over it in victory as the creature disappeared in a torrent of flames, returning from wherever it was summoned from. The flames licked the barn walls once again as the worn structure began to tremble, causing everyone inside to flee. The second creature also disappeared in a torrent of wind, leaving behind a regular black cat. Dani however took no notice as she too tried to flee the damaged structure only to stumble as the adrenaline wore off and the true amount of energy the spell drained from her sent her toppling backward.

An unknown pair of strong arms caught her, and as she curled into the embrace the last thing she heard as gave in to her exhaustion was a chuckle of, “Long time no see,”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who is this mysterious stranger? Are they there to help? Will Dani's spell have repercussions not even she could have predicted? Find out in the chapter of "A Cat In The Night"!


End file.
